Igniting device



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. T. ARMSTRONG & A. ORLING IGNITINGDEVICE Patented Mar. 22, 1898.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. T. ARMSTRONG & A. ORLING.

IGNITING DEVICE.

Patented Mar. 22, 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES TARBOTTON ARMSTRONG AND AXEL ORLING, OF LONDON,

' ENGLAND.

lGNlTlNG DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,069, dated March22, 1898.

Application filed December 21, 1896. Serial No. 616,467. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMEs TARBOTTON ARMSTRONG and AXEL ORLING, subjectsof the Queen of Great Britain, residing in the city of London, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating toElectromechanically Operated Gas-Lighters, of which the followingis aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in electromechanically-operatedgas-lighters in which an electric igniting-spark is produced by makingand breaking a circuit when the gas-inlet valve is operated.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means of efiectingthe making and breaking of the sparking-circuit and a novel arrangementof the gas-inlet Valve whereby the gas is first conducted to aby-pass,which is kept supplied with gas until the passage to the burner beginsto open, when the by-pass passage closes as the burner-passage opens.

In applying our improvements to ordinary incandescent gas-fittings weattach a short arm to the plug, (at the opposite end to the handle,)having a direction that will cause it to point upward when the valve isin the midposition. To the outer end of this short arm is pivoted a linkprovided at or near the center of its length with a pin or equivalentpart which is free to slide in a vertical guideway and to which isconnected a tension-spring whose other end is attached to the plug orany other suitable part. At the outer end of this link is acontact-piece, between which and another (insulated) contact the sparkpasses when the gas is turned on. The insulated contact is suitablyconnected with a sparking-coil and battery, which is grounded, so thatthe circuit may be completed through the fittings when the contacts arebrought together. A by-pass is also provided, to which the gas is firstadmitted when the plug is turned, and it is at this point that the breakin the circuit is made and the spark produced, with the result that theby-pass is ignited and a long thin flame produced which reaches up tothe burner. By this time the short arm will have passed the line ofcenters, and the tension-spring will now assist or, if left to itself,complete the further turning of the plug. As the plug is further turnedit will first commence to open the passage to the burner, whichwillimmediately be lighted by the by-pass flame, which will beextinguished as the main-burner outlet is opened to the full. Thisoperation of the gas-supply is efi'ected by enlarging one or both endsof the port in the plug and by so locating the admission to the by-passthat the port will reach it first and then by the further turning of theplug commence to open the mainburner outlet and thereafter cut off thesupply to the by-pass as the main-burner outlet is opened to the full.

In a modification we adapt our invention to the lighting of ordinarygas-jets, which we accomplish in substantially the same manner; but wedispense with the by-pass and use a plug-valve of ordinary description.

In applying our improvements to street and other similar gas-lamps usingan incandescent mantle the construction may be modified in the followingor an equivalent manner: Instead of a handle being provided with whichto operate the apparatus a lever having a ring or other suitably-formedpart at its outer end is used, so as to be easily operated by means of apole or like implement carried by the lamplighter. This lever isattached to but insulated from the short arm and has an eX- tensionwhich is always in contact with a depending part of the insulatedcontact-piece. The pole carried by the lamplighter contains a batteryand a sparking-coil and has a conducting-handle or other suitable partconnected therewith with which to make contact with the lower part ofthe gas-fittings. The said pole is also provided with a conductinghookat its upper end with which to engage the ring or equivalent part of theoperatinglever.

In a further modification we adapt our invention to the lighting ofstreet and other similar lamps having the ordinary gas-jet by using asparking arrangement and pole substantially similar to that lastdescribed; but we dispense with a by-pass and use a valve of ordinaryconstruction.

e will now proceed to describe the accompanying drawings, with the aidof which we will more particularly describe our invention and the methodof using the same.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are respectively a front and side elevation and planof an incandescent gas-lighting apparatus adapted to be operated byhand. Figs. at and 5 are respectively a front and side elevation of anapparatus for lighting ordinary gas-jets by hand. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 arerespectively a front and side elevation and plan of parts of anincandescent gas-lighting apparatus adapted for lighting street andother similar lamps, the position shown being that after lighting. Fig.9 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 inthe position occupied before lighting. Fig. 10 is a detail of same. Fig.11 is a transverse section through the plug of the valve in the sameplane as the port, the position shown being that with the gas off. Fig.12 is a similar section, the position shown being that with the gas on.Fig. 13 is a longitudinal section through the lighting-pole andconducting-handle, and Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic view showing how theapparatus is applied to lighting street and other similar gas-lamps.

Our invention, which is provided with a suitable taper-screw a, by whichit may be attached to existing gas-fittings, consists of a tubular partI), having a plug-valve c, at one end of which is attached a short arm(1, to the end of which a link 6 is pivotally connected at cl. This link6 is provided with a pin f, adapted to slide in a vertical slot g,contained by the upwardly-extending part g, (see Fig. 10,) thewithdrawal of the said pin ffrom the slot 9 being prevented by asuitable head f The pin f, which extends right through to the front ofthe link 6, has a ten sion-springf whose other end is secured to the pin0 with the object of insuring the taps being turned right on or right ofAt the outer end of the link 6 is a suitable contact h, which makes andbreaks the circuit with an insulated contact 2' when the gas-valve isoperated. This insulated contact i is attached to the upwardly-extendingpart g or any other convenient part of the fittings, as in Figs. 4E and5, but is insulated therefrom by the insulation 70.

When our improvements-are applied to hand-operated gas-lamps, (see Figs.1 to 5,) a wire I is led from the insulated contact 2' to the battery,whose other pole is grounded, so that the circuit, which also contains asparking-coil, may be closed through the fittings; but when adapted toeffect the lighting of street and other similar lamps with alighting-pole (see Figs. 6 to 10, 13, and let) the insulated contact t'is provided with a depending conductor i, which is in contact with theextension of the operating-lever m, attached to the short arm (Z, butinsulated therefrom by the insulation 01.

In lighting incandescent gas-lights we first ignite a by-pass flame, towhich the gas is first admitted by the peculiar construction of the plug0, (see Figs. 11 and 12,) after which the gas is admitted to the mainburner and the by-pass supply cut off.

The port 0 in the plug 0 is enlarged at one end, so as to allow the gasto enter it when its other end is opposite the by-pass outlet 3, (seedotted lines in Figs. 11 and 12,) while the relative positions of theby-pass outlet 1) and the burner-outlet q are such as to enable the gasto be admitted to the main-burner outlet before the bypass isextinguished.

The torch or lighting-pole 0' consists of a conducting-rod r, having asuitably-formed part 0 with which to engage the operatinglever on at oneend, and a hollow chamber 1", provided with a suitable plug r at theother end, adapted to contain a sparking-coil r and a battery 0' ofsuitable known form.

The sparking-coil shown consists of a bobbin containing a soft-iron coreand wound with a single coil of insulated wire, one end S of which isconnected with the conducting-handle S, and the other is attached to aplate i, which is in contact with one pole w of a dry cell, of which thecontaining vessel '10 forms the other pole. This pole to rests upon theplugs r and is in metallic contact with the conducting-rod r.

The conducting-handle S consists of a suitable conductor Sicontained ina non-conducting handle and provided with a clamp S and a contact-pointS.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are shown parts of the ordinaryincandescent gas-light fittings, partially in dotted lines, allunnecessary details being omitted to prevent obscuring the essentialparts of our invention.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is as follows:\Vhen the tap c is turned, the short arm (1, acting upon the link 6,causes the pin f to rise and fall in the slot g and the contact-piece hto follow the path indicated by the dotted line at 7t in Fig. 1. lVhenthe tap is at about its mid-position, the contacts h and i are broughttogether and the circuit made, and just afterward, when the by-passoutlet p is supplied with gas, the break occurs and a spark is produced,which ignites the by-pass 29, whose fiam e reaches the main burner,whichit lights immediately the gas begins to issue therefrom, with the resultthat the usual explosion is prevented.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Figs. 4c and 5 differs from thatjust described in that the spark, which is produced in like manner,ignites the main-burner flame without the aid of a bypass.

In the apparatus shown in Figs. 6 to 10, 13, and 14 the operation is asfollows: The point S of the conducting-handle S, which is held in onehand, is first applied to the lower part of the fittings and the part 0'of the lightingrod 0", which is held in the other hand, is made toengage the operating-lever m, through which the plug 0 is turned and thesparking VIS apparatus actuated and the by-pass and afterward the mainburner lighted in substantially the same manner as that first described.The course taken by the current when the circuit is closed, however, isdifferent. Starting from the battery, it traverses the sparking-coil andenters the gas-fittings through the conducting-wire S and the handle S,and afterward passes from the contact 71 to the insulated contact 11,thence through the depending conductor 2" to the insulatedoperatinglever on and back to the battery through the lighting-rod r andthe plug 0 here ordinary gas-burners are used in street and othersimilar lamps, We modify the apparatus last described by dispensing withthe bypass and so locating the break in the circuit as to cause thespark produced to ignite the main burner directly.

lVhat we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. An electromechanically operated gaslighting apparatus consisting of acircuit making and breaking device operated by the turning of thevalve-plug to which is attached an arm that actuates a link providedwith a pin adapted to travel in a vertical guide and to carry a suitabletension-spring whose other end is attached to a pin beneath it, on theline of centers, the said link also carrying a contact that cooperateswith-a stationary insulated contact connected to a grounded circuit toproduce a spark when the break occurs, which spark ignites a gas-jet ina manner substantially as described in the specification.

2. An electromechanically operated gaslighting apparatus, consisting ofa circuit making and breaking device operated by the turning of thevalve-plug, to which is attached an arm that actuates a link providedwith a pin adapted to travel in a vertical guide and to carry a suitabletension-spring whose other end is attached to a pin beneath it on theline of centers, the said link also carryin g a contact that cooperateswith a stationary insulated contact connected with a grounded circuit toproduce a spark when the break occurs, the said spark igniting a bypassjet by which the main burner is lighted when gas is admitted to it bythe further turning of the plug by the said spring, substantially asdescribed in the specification.

3. In an electromechanically-operated gaslighting apparatussubstantially as described, an insulated operating-lever having anextension in contact with the insulated contact of the circuit makingand breaking device, in combination with a portable and detachablebattery and sparking-coil contained in a suitable case provided withcontacts and a hook, wherewith the operating-lever may be operated andan electric circuit closed when the contacts of the circuit making andbreaking device are brought together all substantially as described andfor the purposes set forth in the specification.

at. An electromechanicallyoperated gaslighting apparatus consisting of:a sparking device actuated by the turning of the plug of the gas-valve,a by-pass jet to which the gas is first admitted, agas-supply-controlling device whereby the gas is first admitted to abypass, then to the main burner whereafter the by-pass is cut off andthe burner alone supplied with gas, and a portable and detachablebattery and sparking-coil having a ground cont-act and means adapted toengage the insulated operating-lever of the gas supply valve and throughthe same close an electric circuit when the contacts of the sparkingdevice are together, all combined and arranged substantially asdescribed and for the purposes set forth in the application.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signedour names in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES 'lARBO'lTON ARMSTRONG. AXEL ORLING. Witnesses:

THos. HUNTER, A. D. GRANT.

